My Cup Of Tea
by Unconscious Again
Summary: What happens when the Dragon of the West comes into contact with the Ripper? Why, they chat over a hot cup of tea, of course!
1. Chapter One: Newspaper

**Greetings Earthlings! I had this idea a while ago; just me wondering, "Hey, what would it be like if Giles and Iroh met?". Well, that got me thinking, and so I decided to write a little oneshot about it. A oneshot. So far, this story has over seven chapters written (all of which are longer than this one, sorry about the super short prologue guys), and will end with at least eleven. I do have an idea of where I'm going with this, but it's pretty hazy, so bear with me.**

 **Warning: this takes place some time after the end of A:tLA, and directly following the events of the season five finale of Buffy. I don't think I spoil a lot Avatar-wise, but if you haven't seen at least up to the first episode of season six of B:tVS than you have been warned. Also, if you haven't seen up to that point, what are you doing reading fanfiction about it?**

 **Disclaimer: I, Unconscious Again, own neither Avatar: the Last Airbender nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Please don't sue me.**

 **And on that note: enjoy!**

 **:::**

Chapter One: Newspaper

.

 _Dear Mr Giles_

 **:::**

"There may just be some hope for the world yet," muttered Giles, as he set down the newspaper Xander had passed him.

What he had just read at that day's Scooby meeting was a rather short, unassuming article about a tea shop that had sprung up a couple of blocks away from the Magic Box. The interesting part was, up until a few days ago, the lot the tea shop occupied had been vacant.

"A tea shop out of nowhere?" wondered Willow, grabbing the newspaper and skimming the article in question. She shrugged. "Seems like something that would happen in Sunnydale."

"It is rather odd," Giles agreed, "But it doesn't seem particularly malicious." 'At least not yet...' he added silently.

"Well G-man, you gonna go check it out?" asked Xander, who was silently wondering why Giles wasn't halfway out the door already.

"Me? Well I suppose I could. God knows I haven't had a decent cup of tea in years," Giles mulled, as he re-adjusted his glasses. Then, reconsidering what Xander said, he added irritably, "And enough with that confounded nickname of yours!"

After a brief period of laughter at the Watcher's "British-isms", the redheaded witch said, "Anyways, Xander's right Giles. You need a break. I think we all do. Besides," Willow smiled mischievously, "When else will you be able to go on an elite Scooby mission that involves drinking as much tea as you can?"

Dawn giggled and even Giles cracked a grin. "Alright, I do believe I'll go," the man acquiesced. "But I need to know something first."

"What?" Xander inquired.

"What's the name of this tea shop?"

 **:::**

'1342 2nd avenue... 1342 2nd avenue...' Giles thought to himself as he hurried along the crowded street. 'The Jasmine Dragon... 1342 2nd avenue...' He stopped dead in his tracks. "Dear lord. That was not what I expected it to look like."

What stood in front of him was an Asian style tea shop made, it seemed, entirely out of stone and metal. The "Grand Opening" sign was a simple one, just painted wood, as was the sign that declared this establishment as being "The Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop".

'I suppose I should enter,' Giles thought to himself. 'I'll talk with the store owner, he ought to know how this shop sprung up.'

 **:::**

 **Whadd'ya think? Alright? Awful? Interesting? Let me know!**

 **See ya!**

 **-Unconscious Again**


	2. Chapter Two: Meet & Greet

**Greetings Earthlings! Here's chapter two; which is (I hope) quite a bit longer than my previous chapters. By the way, I'll try to update this fic on Mondays, so see you guys in a week!**

 **Disclaimer: Do you really think I could come up with Buffy or A:tLA?**

 **And on that note: enjoy!**

 **:::**

Chapter Two: Meet & Greet

.

 _I hope this finds you in good health. How have you been faring lately? As for myself, I've been well._

 **:::**

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon."

Giles was greeted at the door by a bored looking young man who couldn't be any older than eighteen, who had dark hair and an enormous burn mark covering one of his eyes. His attire consisted of a red shirt, black pants, and, oddly enough, a fluffy pink apron reading, "Honour to us all!".

"Take a seat anywhere you like," the teen stated, and promptly walked away to help another customer; nodding at a second teen working there when the other boy asked him something.

Giles walked to an empty booth in the semi-crowded tea shop and rubbed his forehead as he sat, elbows on the table, leaning against it. The past few weeks had been... stressful to say the least, and they had taken their toll on everyone. Dawn especially, seeing how Buffy had sacrificed her own life to save Dawn's.

"You look like a man in great need of a cup of tea."

Giles jumped, he hadn't noticed the man that had approached him. Said man smiled gently. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to startle you."

"Oh no, it's quite alright," Giles replied distractedly, taking in the stranger's appearance. He was an older man with a grey beard and hair done up in a peculiar top-knot. Despite his age, the man was clearly in shape, and had a warrior's grace. Intelligence shone in his eyes, and it seemed to Giles as if he had just had his measure taken as well.

"Some tea would be wonderful, thank you."

The older man started to chuckle. "Don't thank me. I'm just honoured that so many people have graced my humble shop."

Giles' eyebrows shot up, and he stiffened almost imperceptibly. "You're the owner of this tea shop?"

The man glowed with obvious pride. "Yes. My name is Iroh, and I have been managing this new branch of the Jasmine Dragon since it opened. Might I ask as to what your name is?"

"Rupert Giles," the glasses-wearing male replied. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Iroh sounded like an honest man, but this was Sunnydale. For all he knew this "Iroh" was a pompous vampire named Fredly III. And where did that accent come from?

"May I ask you a few questions about your shop?" Giles inquired, wondering how to best approach this.

Iroh's eyes lit up in delight. "Certainly. Would you like to talk more privately, in the back?"

Relieved, Giles nodded. "Please."

Iroh led the way to the back. As they walked, the young man that... welcomed Giles intercepted them and pulled Iroh away, asking him something. He looked worried about whatever it was. Iroh replied gently, but you could see the laughter in his eyes. The teen looked relieved and walked away.

Iroh opened the door that led into a quaint back room and gave a wry smile. "I apologize for my nephew. He shouldn't have interrupted us. He can act quite rashly sometimes."

Giles blinked. That was his nephew? "It's quite alright. But your nephew... what's his name again?"

"Zuko. His name is Zuko."

"Yes. Zuko looked quite worried about something. Might I ask if he's alright?"

Iroh smiled once more, it looked like he was just barely concealing a chuckle. "Oh he's fine. Apparently, deciding between throwing knives and poison darts is a difficult choice."

Giles was bewildered. "He needs these weapons... why?"

Iroh actually started laughing then. "It's a present for his girlfriend. Her birthday is coming up, and you could say she has an... interest in weaponry."

Giles raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything more until they sat down.

 **:::**

The back room of the Jasmine Dragon was small but comfortable; boasting two sofas and an armchair, all three looking old, but well cared-for. The wall held silken hangings in red, blue, yellow, and green with vaguely familiar symbols on them, and a fire crackled merrily in the fireplace. Giles settled in the armchair, unconsciously fidgeting with his glasses.

Making himself comfortable on the couch, Iroh poured tea into the two mugs. "Jasmine. It's my specialty," he said, with a slight smile.

Once they had both taken a hold of their respective glasses, Giles began to speak. "When exactly did you open this shop?"

Iroh's eyes twinkled as he took a sip. "It was a few days ago, I believe this past Tuesday."

"And might I ask when you began construction?"

"On Monday night."

All in accordance with the article Giles had read. But it wasn't possible to build this large and complete of a building in one night. Unless, of course, there was something Iroh wasn't telling him.

"You must have had a large construction team to be able to set all of this up in one night," Giles mentioned lightly.

"My team is composed of highly specialized experts," Iroh replied.

"And how many experts constructed this shop?"

"A small, elite group," he restated. Iroh was thinking hard. Giles was clearly suspicious of him; he hadn't even touched his tea yet! He seemed like a kind man, and Iroh wanted to gain his trust. 'But how to do that without revealing bending? This world's people do not know of our powers, he would think me insane if I speak of it.'

Oh, how little he knew...

'This is going me nowhere,' Giles decided, shifting in his chair and glancing around at the confounded wall hangings that he just couldn't seem to place. 'A subject change is in order.'

"You have an... unusual accent, Mr Iroh," Giles remarked, "Where are you from?"

Iroh paused. After a hesitation, he carefully replied. "My nation is very small, and very far away from Sunnydale. I doubt you have heard of it."

"Try me." The words came out of Giles' mouth before he could stop himself from saying them.

Iroh's mind was racing. Should he reveal a little, that could lead to a lot? Or should he lose the trust of the one man who might be able to become a friend?

There was a long wait. Finally, Iroh spoke. "I come from a place called the Fire Nation."

 **:::**

 **Whadd'ya think? Getting a bit more interesting?**

 **To reviewers:**

 **Guest: Ooh, that would be really cool too! Yeah, that would definitely be a neat idea, but unfortunately it doesn't really work with where I'm going with this story. But if you're at all a writer, you should write that; I'd love to read it!**

 **Addy Chan: Aww, thank you!**

 **See ya!**  
 **-Unconscious Again**


	3. Chapter Three: Tea Time

**Greetings Earthlings! So, after a long planning session on Monday during which I figured out much more soundly what I was doing with this story (thanks so much, by the way, to AnImpatientAnon for prompting me to get off my butt and actually figure things out), I decided that to heck with my plan of once-a-week updates, I'm gonna add to this once every four days. Uh, by the way, these next two chapters get very talky. I'm sorry about this and I've tried to add in as much movement as possible, but there's only so much you can do when it's two guys sitting in a room and drinking tea.**

 **Disclaimer: You know, I have this feeling that I don't own A:tLA, nor do I own Buffy. I dunno, just a hunch. (Please don't sue me.)**

 **And on that note: enjoy!**

 **:::**

Chapter Three: Tea Time

.

 _I'm happily running the original Jasmine Dragon, and let me tell you, business is booming! I suppose having the Avatar endorsing your tea shop counts for a bit, hmm?_

 **:::**

'Fire Nation... Fire Nation... Why do I recognize that?' Giles was thinking hard. 'Fire Nation, Fire Nation... Wait!'

So that was why those symbols looked familiar.

"You're not from this dimension?" It was posed as a question, but was more a statement of fact.

Iroh smiled, half relieved. "You seem to be well versed in these matters. You tell me."

"You're not from my dimension," Giles acknowledged. "But then... Why did you come here? _How_ did you come here?"

"Aah, the answer to those questions is quite a tale, Mr Giles. Are you sure you're ready to hear it?"

The simple question provoked a long silence.

Finally, Giles replied quietly. "Tell me your story."

Iroh settled himself more comfortably into his cushioned seat and drank some of his tea. "What do you know of my world?"

Giles thought for a second, back to the days in his training to be Watcher. While he had mostly resented it back then, the man had paid attention to things he thought were interesting. Such as during the week they had covered alternate dimensions. "Your world is divided into four countries, regions or, as they're known in your realm, Nations. Each Nation corresponds with an element: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, and I believe the symbols for each are those in the hangings on your wall. In each Nation are people who can control or 'bend' the element of the Nation they come from, as well as people who cannot. No person can bend more than one element, excepting the Avatar, who can, with proper training, bend all four elements and who acts as a spiritual guide for all Nations. The culture of your world seems to be similar to that of the Asian countries in ours. Beyond that... basic knowledge, and a rumor about some of the Nations being at war, I know nothing."

Iroh was highly impressed. To have an outsider, and one from another reality no less, know even that much about his world spoke volumes to Giles' intelligence and general knowledge (as well as eloquence, the man added in his head. He had been spending far too much time with teenagers lately). But while he knew much about their world in itself, his knowledge of their history was abysmal at best. How did one miss a hundred-year war?

Giles frowned slightly, and lent forwards, inquiring, "Is there anything particular about your world that I should be made aware of, Mr Iroh?"

Iroh grimaced in his head. This was not going to be pleasant. "While your general knowledge of my world is excellent, Mr Giles, your knowledge of our recent history is.. Well, it could be better," he said diplomatically.

Giles narrowed his eyes as a thought struck him, and half-asked, half-stated, "The rumor was true. You are at war."

"We were at war, Mr Giles, and for one hundred years, no less. It was the Fire Nation against all others, and we were winning," Iroh sighed, massaging his temples. "But the Avatar and his group of friends managed to defeat my brother, and for that, I am grateful."

"Your- Your _brother_?" Giles spluttered. "You... What? How..." he trailed off. Taking a moment to compose himself, he took off his glasses and started cleaning them. Then he spoke. "How are you connected to this war?"

"As I said, I am Iroh. Some may also know me as ex-General Iroh, or as the Dragon of the West. I am a member of the Fire Nation, uncle of Zuko, and brother of the former Fire Lord and ruler of the Fire Nation, Ozai. My family has a long history in the war; in fact, my grandfather Sozin was the one who used the power of Sozin's comet to massacre the airbenders and start it."

Giles blinked, putting his glasses back on absentmindedly. Iroh had stated this all quite simply, and the bespectacled man wondered what things he had seen to be able to be so calm about it.

The dimension traveler resumed speaking while sipping at his tea. "After Ozai banished Zuko, I went with my then-disgraced nephew on his quest to capture the Avatar and," Iroh smirked a bit at this, "regain his honor."

"It's not funny, Uncle!"

Zuko stood, blushing, in the doorway, holding an empty teapot. Iroh attempted not to choke on his tea. After having successfully swallowed, the tea-maker chortled, "You were chasing a twelve year old around the world for two years, Prince Zuko. In hindsight, it was pretty funny." The elder man's eyes then widened in glee as he fully took in his nephew, and he added, "And speaking of honor, your new apron is very stylish."

After a quick glance down at his pink, fluffy apron, the teen scowled, and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Sokka's going to have to start sleeping with one eye open at night."

Zuko regained his composure (though he was still blushing slightly), set his teapot on the floor, and said, "Anyways, I'm leaving for the palace now. Apparently, Aang and Sokka thought it would be fun to taste-test a few recipes for Aang's 'Grand Inter-Nation Meeting,' whatever that is, and they ended up setting the kitchens on fire when they tried to make 'home-made seal jerky', at Sokka's insistence."

"But wasn't Aang there? And what about Katara?" Iroh inquired, eyes twinkling.

Zuko seemed to understand his question. "The sinks hadn't been working properly for a few days. Katara came with water and managed to put out the fire before anyone was hurt, but in that time the two idiots managed to destroy around half the kitchen. All this I hear, two hours later, from a snickering Toph. How am I supposed to rebuild the kitchens now?" he asked, voice steadily rising in volume. "We're on a pretty tight schedule, you know, with Aang wanting to have his huge meeting at my palace, because apparently it would make people like me more if I wasn't such an, and I quote, 'antisocial solemn person'!"

By this time, the Prince was pacing the room in frustration. Iroh started to chuckle. "Prince Zuko, for one so intelligent, you sure can miss the solutions that are right under your nose," he said, barely intelligible from his laughter, "Why don't you just ask Toph and Aang to help rebuild the kitchens? I bet you Sokka could help too."

Zuko slapped his palm to his forehead, groaned, and promptly left the room to put away the teapot.

 **:::**

 **Whadd'ya think? Got some talking, and some destruction, that's always nice. Again, next chapter will also be a lot of dialogue, but after that we get into some actual action.**

 **To reviewers:**

 **AnImpatientAnon: Okay, first off, thank you so much. That review got me to figure out things that really needed figuring out, and all encouragement is appreciated. I'm sorry if you feel the chapters are too short; I'm doing the best I can but they probably will stay at around 1k words each.**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed!**

 **See ya!**

 **-Unconscious Again**


	4. Chapter Four: Apocalypse How

**Greetings Earthlings! So, here be part two of the dialogue extravaganza. Uh, next chapter is where the plot "technically begins", but this one sets up some stuff so bear with me here.**

 **Disclaimer: Noooooopppppeeee.**

 **And on that note: enjoy!**

 **:::**

Chapter Four: Apocalypse How

.

. _Anyways, back on track. How has everyone on your side of the portal been?_

 **:::**

Throughout this conversation, Giles was drinking tea (it really was very good) and thinking hard. 'If Iroh was related to the head of the Fire Nation, and addressed his nephew as "Prince" Zuko... would that mean that he's royalty? And if so, why did he decide to come to Sunnydale of all places and open a teashop when he could be in a palace? It just doesn't add up.'

Giles reconsidered his previous thought. 'It could merely be that Iroh prefers a simple life. But if so, why would... How could... he end up in Sunnydale in the first place? Yes, I need to know how he got to this dimension,' he concluded.

"Mr Iroh, might I ask how you ended up in my dimension?" Giles inquired cautiously, wondering whether straight out asking would do the trick.

Iroh, his attention back on his guest, took a sip of his tea. "Certainly."

The bespectacled man blinked. 'Well, that certainly was a simple way of getting that information,' he decided, picking up his mug.

His colleague set his respective glass down and began his tale. "It all started this past Saturday. I was at the Fire Nation palace, visiting Zuko, when I felt an odd... presence would be the best word to describe it. I went to investigate the general area this presence was coming from and found myself facing a swirling vortex. It wasn't pulling anything in, just hanging there in mid-air. Being the curious man that I am, I told my friends and family what I was doing and promptly stepped through the vortex."

Giles spat out his tea in shock, nearly dropping his mug. "Are you mad? You went through a swirling vortex with no knowledge of what was on the other side? I didn't peg you as reckless!"

Iroh narrowed his eyes, but said nothing, so the other man continued to rant. "How did your nephew feel? From what I've observed, you behave like a father to him! What if you had died, or gone into one of the worse dimensions out there? You could have ended up in a hell dimension. I don't think you have a son, but if you do how would it feel to lose him to a swirling vortex? Even if it was to save the world, you can't just abandon people like that!"

The nephew in question slunk into the room, sans teapot this time, seating himself on the floor near his uncle. Neither of the men acknowledged him.

Iroh looked at Giles directly, not backing down, and said, "Reckless I am not. I know my strengths just as well as I know my weaknesses. I know that I can certainly face down most anything. And I know the pain of losing a child. But do you? I don't presume to know you well Mr Giles, but even now I'm not sure that you fully understand the pain of a deep loss. You have lost. But you're still shell shocked about it. Only when you truly feel the sorrow can you begin to recover."

Zuko's eyes had grown wide, and Giles was beginning to go vacant, falling deep into a sea of memories. The shop owner looked from his nephew, to his newfound colleague, and his eyebrows drew together in concern. Calming down, he reconsidered and added, "I'm sorry for raising my voice like that. I am usually not so quick to anger. Though it does not make up for my harsh words, I have had a hard time recently as well."

And, with those words, the room lapsed into silence.

 **:::**

Zuko was shocked. 'I haven't heard Uncle use that tone of voice since Ba Sing Sei. But then again, tomorrow would have been Lu Ten's birthday. And,' he thought, paling as the explanation struck him, 'a month since Azula broke down.' Sobering at the realization, the teen took a deep breath, in and out, but remained quiet.

Suddenly, two words came out of Giles' mouth. "I'm sorry."

Iroh nodded, the guilt the other man was feeling bright in his eyes. "Can I know what happened? It's easier to deal with grief if it's shared. I don't believe it's all your fault."

He let the words hang in the air, then added, "But even if you don't want to tell me, tell someone."

"I'll... I'll tell you," Giles said, innately trusting the tea-making man and unconsciously placing his hands around his mug.

Iroh simply nodded and waited, motioning for Zuko to sit down on the couch with him and listen to the tale as well. When the teen complied, Giles began, his eyes on the warm object in his hands.

"In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer. That's the abridged version, but it's accurate enough to what I learned as I trained to be a Watcher. This world is different from yours; full of hidden magic and the supernatural, and it is the Slayer's job to keep it in line. I had always been taught - and always believed - that the Slayer slayed and the Watcher trained and that was how it was.

"Then I met Buffy. The girl I was assigned to Watch over. We had both recently moved to Sunnydale, and I was expecting a sweet girl who would listen to everything I said, and who would go along with my plans without complaint. I was such a fool. Buffy is... Was... An incredible woman. She decided what was best for herself, and managed to save the world at the same time. She argued with me about being able to slay while wearing three inch heels. She was incredibly headstrong and stubborn, and yet could be the kindest and most empathetic person on Earth. She was like a daughter to me. And three weeks ago, she jumped into a vortex to avert an apocalypse. That vortex led to a hell dimension. Buffy is now dead."

After a second of listening for his companions' reactions, Giles sighed, gaze still down, taking off his glasses to polish them with the handkerchief in his shirt pocket, setting them down next to his mug once he had finished. "I've been coping with her loss, yes, but most of all I've been trying to help her family; her sister and her friends. God, even Spike has been in mourning. It's very difficult, and though they all look to me for guidance I frankly haven't a damn clue what to do. It's... stressful, constantly being the role model. Who can you look to when everyone looks to you?"

Giles then turned his head to face Iroh, and with a sad look, asked, "You don't happen to have any bright ideas on what to do, do you?"

Iroh smiled sombrely and shook his head. "Just keep living. Every day find one thing to live for. One thing that gives you that little bit of happiness. These things are what help you keep going, until the day when you've moved past your grief."

The glasses-wearing man sighed once again, then lent back and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Iroh shifted in his seat a tad. Zuko slumped, exhausted after what he just witnessed.

They stayed in those positions for the next while.

 **:::**

 **So, what do you guys think? Overly dramatic (ha, probably)? Going somewhere? Let me know in the comments!**

 **Thanks again to everyone who's followed, favorited, and/or reviewed!**

 **See ya!**

 **-Ua**


	5. Chapter Five: Sunnydale Syndrome

**Greetings Earthlings! And now we're getting into plot! Wonderful, glorious plot! No more pages of dialogue! Joy! Also, a couple of characters are introduced here. Fun tiiiiimmeeessss.**

 **Disclaimer: Hmmm, ahh, ehh- no. Don't own either of the series.**

 **And on that note: enjoy!**

 **:::**

Chapter Five: Sunnydale Unusual Activity Syndrome

 **.**

 _Dawn? Buffy?_

 **:::**

Finally opening his eyes, Giles checked his wristwatch and jolted in panic when he saw he had been in the Jasmine Dragon for nearly two hours.

"I have to be back, Dawn and the others are waiting on me. I'll come again tomorrow," the bespectacled man explained hurriedly in response to Iroh's questioning look. Jamming his glasses back on his head and wrapping his coat around himself, Giles made for the door to outside the restaurant, and his two new companions followed him.

"Goodbye!" the Brit said, raising his hand in farewell. The dimension-travelling men he had met did the same, and Giles walked out the door and onto the street. As he hurried back down 2nd Avenue, the Watcher couldn't help but wonder what his new acquaintances thought of this whole ordeal.

'Perhaps I'll bring Dawn along with me next time,' he mused.

 **:::**

Back in the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh chuckled at his nephew's open-mouthed gape. "A lot to take in, wasn't it Zuko?" the ex-General asked lightly, gently tapping the teen on the head.

Shaking himself, the crown prince collected his thoughts. "I'm going back to the Fire Nation," he declared. "I'm not sure if I can come again tomorrow." Then, looking at his suddenly gleeful uncle, the boy added, "And stop laughing like that! Why are you even laughing in the first place?!"

"But Prince Zuko, it's your apron. I just can't help myself!" the elder man explained through his giggles. Glancing down at his pink, fluffy apron and huffing, Zuko left his beloved uncle standing next to the door to help Sokka greet customers, and stalked off in the direction of the inter-dimensional portal.

 **:::**

It was around three o'clock the next day when Iroh spotted Giles again, and this time the bespectacled man looked genuinely cheerful. With him were two young girls - well, young by Iroh's standards. They were perhaps in their mid to late teens; one a brunette and the other, blonde. While the brunette was engaging the Brit in animated conversation, the blonde female - while happy - looked overly alert and seemed to be moving... almost _jerkily_. Hmm. How unusual.

The bell jingled as the group of three entered the shop, and Iroh moved from his position near the back of the building to greet his Sunnydale comrades.

 **:::**

Giles looked up from his conversation with Dawn (debating over one music group or another; Giles still firmly maintained that the Rolling Stones were the best band in history) to see a tea-towel bearing Iroh walking over to say hello to him and the girls. He greeted the shop owner with a distracted smile and turned to Dawn and BuffyBot.

"Ah, Dawn, Buffy. This is Iroh, the person I was telling you and the others about," Giles told his companions. Iroh gave him a questioning look that said, ' _Buffy?_ ', but Giles merely shook his head, conveying that he'd explain the situation later.

The younger teen looked at the tea maker and greeted him brightly, saying, "Hi, I'm Dawn!" and other such bubbly, introductory things, as the elder stood in silence. Giles merely grinned ruefully and shrugged his shoulders, 'What can you do?'.

Then, recalling something Anya had told her once, the brunette asked the question that had a curious Sokka and an annoyed Zuko pausing from greeting customers to join in the conversation. "Hey Mr Iroh, is it true that in the Water Tribes, people eat something called seal-otter jerky?"

"Only all the time!"

The response had the Sunnydale residents looking to their left; where an enthusiastic blue-clad sixteen year old had answered Dawn's question. With an irritated dark haired boy of around the same age in tow, the first teen proceeded to introduce himself. Sticking out a hand, he declared, "Hi, I'm Sokka! Who are you and how do you know about the joys of seal-otter jerky? Also, do you happen to be government-affiliated spies trying to abduct us for sharing our dimension-travelling secrets?"

Looking at the dumbstruck faces of the Sunnydalers, Iroh's stifled chuckle, and Zuko's sigh, Sokka reconsidered the last part of his statement. "Okay, I might have been joking about the government-affiliated spies bit. But you never know!" the Water Tribe native defended, dropping his outstretched hand.

Jerking his head towards the boy in question, Zuko explained, "That's Sokka. He's naturally sceptical... of everything."

Shaking off his surprise, Giles motioned to himself, Dawn, and the BuffyBot while saying, "Anyways, as Zuko and his uncle know, I am Rupert Giles, and the girls are the sisters Dawn and Buffy Summers. I can only assume that Dawn knows about this 'seal-otter jerky' because of Anya, the girls' friend who happens to be an ex-Vengeance Demon. Am I correct?"

Dawn's nod came at the same time as Sokka's eyes widening to almost comical proportions. "Demon? You crazy people are friends with a demon? Don't you know demons are bad? They steal peoples' faces! And are happy vegetarians! And- and other weird stuff!"

 **:::**

Somewhere in the Fire Nation Palace, Aang sneezed.

"Nice one," Toph snickered, then went back to rebuilding Zuko's kitchens.

 **:::**

Back in the Jasmine Dragon, Giles had a strong urge to compare Sokka to Xander. He wasn't quite sure why.

On another note, the boy in question was still rattling off reasons why one shouldn't be friends with a demon when he suddenly found himself drenched. Our intrepid group of... well, _people_ collectively looked over to the back of the teashop, where a blue-clad girl of about Dawn's age was whistling innocently.

"What did you do that for!? Ugh! Whenever I'm around your magic water, this seems to happen. Do the gods have a grudge against me or something?" the Water Tribe teen complained.

"They may not have a grudge against you, but they sure have one against me for having to put up with this all the time," Zuko muttered.

"Hey! I heard that!"

"You were meant to."

Meanwhile, the Scoobies were looking extremely confused in regards to the 'magic water' (all other Sunnydalers in the teashop at the time had suddenly caught a case of Sunnydale Unusual Activity Syndrome, which caused them to turn a blind eye to any and all suspicious activity. They were quite good at it by now).

"Er, what exactly is this 'magic water'? And who is she?" Giles asked, gesturing towards the girl who had just soaked Sokka.

"Hey Katara, get over here so they can meet you!" the drenched teen called. Once the other girl had complied, he introduced her. "This is Katara. She's my little sister, and she's also from the Water Tribes. Though you might have figured that out by her outfit."

Katara then jerked her head towards her brother and said, "And when he says 'magic water', he just means my waterbending."

Suddenly the blonde female Giles had referred to as BuffyBot, who up until now had been silent, spoke up. "I don't have anything on "water bending" in my databases," she informed them cheerily.

The entire group stared at her.

"You wouldn't, would you," Giles finally muttered.

By this point all those who could Bend (and Sokka) were looking thoroughly confused, Dawn was fidgeting nervously, and Giles had started polishing his glasses. And in the end the boomerang guy broke the silence.

"Is anyone going to explain to me who these people are and what's going on?"

 **:::**

 **And that's the chapter! Poor Sokka, always so confused. I laugh at his pain. Is that bad?**

 **Thanks to everyone who's favorited, followed. or reviewed. Tell me what you think of it down below!  
**

 **Until next time.**

 **See ya!**

 **-Ua**


	6. Chapter Six: So What's A Robot?

**Greetings Earthlings! And here's chapter six. By the way, while I usually write out chapters way in advance, right now I'm still working on chapter seven, so I won't be able to update as regularly as I have been. I'll still try my best for more than one chapter a week, but I can't guarantee anything right now. Sorry.**

 **Disclaimer: Wait.. Wait... Waiiiiiittttttt... Nope.**

 **And on that note: enjoy!**

 **:::**

Chapter Six: So.. What's A Robot?

.

 _Dawn? Buffy? (Part 2)_

 **:::**

A few explanations later, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, Giles, and the BuffyBot were sitting in the back room of the Jasmine Dragon (Dawn being more than happy to sit their conversation out and converse with Katara and the few others from the Bending Nations who had travelled to the teashop).

Poor Sokka was looking more than a little shellshocked. "What- why... how..." the teen mumbled weakly.

"Three excellent questions," Giles muttered. "But yes, that's the general reaction to Sunnydale; even if you're a demon. So, do you know what's going on now?" he finished wryly, the Water Tribe boy nodding in reply.

"Speaking of knowing what's going on," Iroh cut in, "I'll admit, I'm a bit confused myself. Who exactly is this BuffyBot, and what does she have to do with the Buffy that... _disappeared_ recently?"

Giles shook his head and sighed. He should have known the other man wouldn't have just dropped the subject. Then he began explaining. "BuffyBot, as her name implies, is a robot who looks identical to Buffy Summers. She was designed by a boy named Warren, and is now programmed to be a stand-in for the real Buffy; basically, so she can still act as a legal guardian for Dawn. She also aids us in the slaying of vampires and demons when we go on our nightly patrol."

Giles thought he has done a fair job of explaining the situation, but, judging by the looks of confusion on all but his and BuffyBot's faces, he hadn't.

Sokka raised his hand. "So, this may sound like an extremely stupid question, but what's a robot?"

 **:::**

After a brief overview of Earth's technologies (which, to Giles' surprise, Sokka seemed extremely interested in, participating in the conversation with enthusiasm), Katara came into the room wearing an apron.

"Hey guys. Just letting you know that Aang's here," she informed them.

"Don't forget about me, Sugar Queen!" called a female voice from the other room.

"Oh yeah! And Toph. Sorry, didn't notice you there," the Water Tribe teen amended. As she did, a second girl walked into the room; this time clothed in various shades of green and yellow, with pale blue eyes and an odd updo. Most surprisingly, the new girl wasn't wearing any shoes.

She actually seemed quite cute. Then she began to speak.

"Hey Snoozles, get your butt back to work! We're understaffed here! You too, Hothead," she added.

Zuko sighed. Sokka pouted. Iroh chucked. Katara giggled. Giles stared.

"I'm Toph," the girl said, by way of explanation. Then, turning towards Giles, she asked, "Oh, and who're the new guy and that weird humanoid machine thing?"

There was an awkward pause. Finally, Toph jokingly inquired, "What? I got something in my hair? I mean, I wouldn't know, but..."

Giles narrowed his eyes amid his companions' chuckles. "How did you know that BuffyBot was a machine?"

"Easy, New Guy," she replied. "No heartbeat, and it wasn't breathing. Figured it had to be some kinda machine. Oh, by the way, since there's nowhere for me to sit..."

Toph trailed off, then turned pointedly towards Iroh. When he gave his approval, she stomped a foot on the marble floor and a chair (stone) complete with footrest (also stone) appeared out of the ground. She proceeded to go and made herself comfortable; leaning back in the chair and propping her feet up. "Aah, this is the life," the Earth native sighed, hands behind her head.

Closing her eyes, Toph mentioned, "You never did answer my questions, by the way. Who are these people? Also, Sugar Queen and Twinkletoes are the only ones out up front. Somebody needs to go help them, and it isn't gonna be me. I just got back from rebuilding Hothead's kitchens."

"I'll go," Zuko volunteered. "I've already heard this story twice, anyways. Bye," he called as he walked out of the room.

Regaining his usual slightly skeptical demeanor, Sokka decided to introduce their guests. "These are Giles and BuffyBot, and they're with another girl: Dawn. Last I saw her she was in the front room, you might've sensed her on your way in. We'll point her out to you later. Anyways, they come from this dimension, and apparently they like to patrol cemeteries to fight vampires and demons. Except for the fact that they're friends with a demon, too. I'm not really clear on that part. The machine - Buffy - she's basically imitating a human who used to fight demons with them." The teen then turned to Iroh and Giles. "Did I get that right?"

"Right enough," Giles acquiesced with a nod.

Across from him, Toph was nodding in acceptance, her eyes now open. "Okay, sure. If there are face-stealing spirits and six-legged flying bison and swords made of meteors - which, by the way, everyone's getting pretty lazy about fighting in favor of, ugh, _politics_ (especially you, Sokka) - why can't there be vampires?"

"Exactly," Sokka agreed. Then, reconsidering her statement, he added, "And what do you mean we're getting lazy? You haven't exactly been participating in Earth Rumbles yourself, ya know!"

"I mean, Snoozles," the girl replied acidly, "That we've been all politics, all the time for practically the past month! I mean, Twinkletoes might be doing his Avatar peacekeeping gig, and Hothead might need to figure out some stuff 'cause the Fire Nation's been run by crazies for the past hundred years, but that doesn't mean the rest of us have to do that too! I don't know about you, but I've had enough of being cooped up for one lifetime."

"Well maybe if you had thought of that when you joined the team that was _saving the world_ -"

" _Ahem_."

Giles cleared his throat pointedly to cut off Sokka's tirade. Iroh shot him a profoundly grateful look. Those two had been at each other's throats for the smallest things recently.

"I'd like to ask some questions now, if you don't mind," the Brit stated, and the teens backed down. "First off: Sokka. What did you mean when you told Toph that she had probably 'sensed' Dawn in the front room? Also, Toph... " the man trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.

Toph having since almost completely calmed, shrugged at Giles' behaviour, telling him, "You can ask me pretty much anything, I don't really care."

Giles nodded, and continued, "Alright. I apologize for asking so bluntly even so, but... Are you blind?"

Toph didn't look at all offended by the question. In fact, she seemed almost impressed. "Good job, New Guy! Yeah, I 'see' by sensing the vibrations in the earth. I don't think anyone's figured it out that fast. " The girl then motioned to her compatriots. "These guys sure didn't."

"Hey!" Sokka protested. "We may or may not have been too busy trying to comprehend how 'the Blind Bandit', famous earthbending champ was a little girl to realize that you were actually, you know..."

"Blind?" Toph asked, raising an eyebrow. "C'mon Snoozles, don't tell me you thought that was just my schtick."

As Sokka was attempting to defend himself (and Iroh sipping tea and quietly trying not to chuckle throughout their exchange; unable to decide whether it was was more like a lovers' spat or siblings squabbling over a toy), Giles broke in. "Er, Toph, must you insist on calling me that dreadful nickname you seem to have thought up?" the Brit asked irritably.

"What, 'New Guy'?" the Earth Native inquired. At the words of assent that were given, she cheerfully replied, "Yup! I like it and I'm sticking to it."

Giles gave a sigh, and Sokka shook his head in sympathy.

Iroh actually starting laughing this time.

 **:::**

With BuffyBot still in the back room and Iroh out helping customers, Sokka, Toph and Giles had gone out into the back lot of the Jasmine Dragon for what Toph called a 'practical demonstration' of bending. He could learn 'that boring spiritual theory stuff later,' the girl had decided, 'but first he had to see some real bending'. She sounded a little too gleeful at the thought of that.

The first thing Giles had noticed about the back lot was the giant, swirling vortex near the middle of it. Like most inter-dimensional portals, it was purple. Unlike most inter-dimensional portals, it was not attempting to suck anyone in. Sokka followed the man's gaze to the vortex and answered the unasked question. "Yeah, that's how we got here."

Tearing his gaze away from the portal, Giles turned to Toph. "Alright, we're here. What exactly do you have planned for this 'practical demonstration'?"

Toph started rubbing her hands together (almost _sadistically_?) and smirking in reply, and he began to deeply regret having asked.

Sokka, for his part, became very scared.

"Watch and learn, New Guy. Watch and learn."

 **:::**

 **And now Toph has joined in the Sunnydale madness! Yay! I love Toph. She's such a strong character, and she and Sokka practically write themselves.**

 **On another note, we should be in the A:tLA dimension within the next two chapters.**

 **How did I do? Let me know.**

 **See ya!**

 **-Ua**


	7. Chapter Seven: Left, Left, Right, Left

**Greetings Earthlings! I'M ALIIIIIIIIVVEEEEEEE! CALL THE FIRE STATION! CALL THE MEDIA! CALL YOUR GRANDMOTHER! I'M ALIVE! Okay, so I officially have NO excuse. The entire story is planned. This and the next few parts are planned in detail. I have had an incredible amount of time. I. Should. Have. Been. Writing. This.**

 **...but I haven't been, and I'm really sorry.**

 **This story is not dead. It will never be dead. I actually have the epilogue written out. I'm just lazy.**

 **So add this to stories you follow, because while updates will be sporadic, there'll be updates.**

 **Um... also, if you're reading this, give thanks to SundarDibujar, who asked me to update and managed to get my lazy butt in gear for writing this thing. Thanks for the review; it really helped give me motivation to write this again.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. I NEVER WILL. CAPISCE?**

 **And on that note: please enjoy!**

 **:::**

Chapter Seven: Left, Left, Right, Left.

.

 _Dawn? Buffy? (Part 3)_

 **:::**

Toph settled into a sturdy stance, weight close to the ground, and stomped her foot, causing the ground beneath her to rise up and lift her a good three meters in the air. At Giles' slight noise of confusion, she grinned, and stomped once again, this time thrusting her arms out as well.

While Giles gaped unabashedly at what she had just made, Sokka started slowly inching towards the door of the restaurant. (Of course, the girl blocked his escape, but Sokka's screams of terror were beside the point.)

Toph, from her perch, 'looked' down at her creation, satisfied. Where previously there had been a practically empty lot, there was now a sprawling, maze-like obstacle course that finished at the inter-dimensional portal. Twisting and turning, it was not only curled more than a snake, but boasted an impressive amount of traps: including precariously perched boulders, barely visible pitfalls, and (oddly enough) many an out-of-reach cage filled with statues of meat. The whole thing was made, it seemed, entirely out of stone.

As she released Sokka from his entrapment in a stone cage, the Earth native began to rub her hands together gleefully.

"Oh I just know this is going to end badly," Sokka muttered, then added, "For me, anyways. It always does."

"I've been waiting to do this for years," the girl said excitedly, eyes shining. "Ready, New Guy? Time to show you how much fun bending is! See, how this is gonna work is Sokka's gonna go first. You'll watch. Then he'll go through the portal, I'll reset the traps, and you'll be up!"

Sokka's look of pure horror (which had slightly subsided by that point) came back with a vengeance at Toph's words. Giles, for his part, seemed not to be taking the news too badly, as he was simply muttering, "Oh, dear god," to himself with a thousand yard stare on his face.

The earthbender raised her hands up in the air and the back lot rearranged itself accordingly, shifting so Sokka ended up in the maze, and so his only way to go was forwards.

Toph smiled. "Ready? Set?"

 **:::**

Dawn had chatted enough with the multitude of travellers who had crossed dimensions to drink tea, and had decided that rejoining Giles and regaling him with what she had learned was the best course of action. So she went through the back room, out the back door, and into the back lot, calling, "Hey Giles! There's a guy here who actually sells cabbages for a livi- Whoa!"

Craning her neck so she could see the man, the girl looked from him and Toph to Sokka and back in awe. "What's going on?"

Toph tilted her head to the side. "Oh, you've gotta be Dawn. Yeah, I remember you. Wanna join us in watching Snoozles be tormented?"

The girl in question shrugged. If you couldn't beat them, join them. "Yeah, sure!"

The blind girl lifted her leg and stomped, lifting the ground so as to make a staircase from where she and Giles were to where the brunette was standing. The teen on the ground ran her way up the stairs and, reaching the plateau where the others were standing, promptly dropped into a cross legged position. The earthbender gave her an appraising nod.

Sokka, for his part, was not so sure that any of this was a good idea, and proceeded to say as much. To his surprise, instead of mocking him like she usually would have, Toph's face went.. Serious. A bit mad, even. "C'mon Sokka," she muttered, voice slowly rising with each passing sentence. "Where's the guy who's always bragging about how skilled he is at fighting? Where's the guy that trained with Master Piano-"

"It's Piandao!"

"...or whatever his name was? Where's the guy that came up with our invasion plan for the solar eclipse, and figured out how to beat up the old Fire Lord? You've been working so hard on your stupid politics that you've lost your touch! Everyone has, but it's like you've just dropped everything you learned! It's like you don't fight anymore. I don't know what happened, and I don't know why being trapped in a web of people is so fun, but it's not like you and it's freaking me out, so stop being a wimp and get serious already!"

Sokka blinked, taken aback. He had been working on trying to fix the balance between the Nations, but he hadn't been neglecting his training.

Had he?

Shaking his head vigorously, he banished those thoughts. "Wimp? Me?! I'll show you!" he shot back, falsely offended. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to the maze and evaluated it. "Just watch and see how a real man completes a maze!"

Toph, from her perch, relaxed, turning away, a faint smile making its way onto her features. "We'd been worried. Not like you can just practice bending and keep up with the rest of us. That's better, Snoozles. There ya go," she mumbled under her breath.

She turned to face the maze once more. "Then get a move on! We don't have all day!" the girl called out.

"I'll complete the maze so fast, I'll be a blur!" the water tribe boy shot back, relieved that his friend was back to snarking. Snarking meant normal with Toph Bei Fong, and in all the post-war weirdness Sokka was going to take all the normal he could get.

"I can't see blurs," Toph rebuked, exasperated, waving a hand in front of her face. "Blind, remember?"

The teen perked up. "Oh yeah!"

Toph merely rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But anyways: ready... set... Go!"

So Sokka went.

 **:::**

'Left, left, right, left; duck a rock being hurled at your head; take a flying leap over a pitfall and land hard; shake off your complaining ankles; right, right; don't stop to stare at the meat or the boulder that's been following you will turn you into a pancake (mmm, pancakes); right, left; middle fork, it's a dead end, backtrack; right, right, left, there!'

Sokka broke into a wide grin as he barrelled full-tilt through the corridor that lead to the inter-dimensional portal. He stumbled on the uneven ground but kept on his feet for the home stretch; doubling over and panting upon arrival. Once sufficiently recovered, the water tribe native straightened up and raised his arms above his head victoriously. "Did you get that?" he called out smugly in Toph's general direction. "How fast was that?"

"Two and a half minutes; not bad, Snoozles," the girl replied. "Well? Go through."

"I'm think I'll wait for Giles to get here; help him through," the teen decided, plopping down into a seated position on the ground and making himself comfortable. "I mean, our world's pretty different from this one, right? Might as well help with the culture shock by going through the portal with somebody you know."

Toph shrugged. "Fair enough," she agreed. Turning to Dawn, she asked, "Hey, do you want to go through too?"

The brunette nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

The green-clad girl gave her a thumbs up and promptly stomped on the ground, creating a sloping walkway down to the start of the maze. As the two Sunnydalers obligingly started down it, she added, "Oh, and New Guy? I've decided not to include the boulder-trying-to-squash-you bit during your run. Make it easier on you."

Torn between laughing hysterically and rolling his eyes, Giles settled on sarcastically calling back, "Thank you, Toph; that certainly assuaged my worries," as he and Dawn entered the maze.

Sokka, for his part, made use of the Sunnydalers' travel time to ask the earthbender, "Could you give me a boost so I can see the maze? I kinda want to watch this." The girl nodded and obliged with a, "Sure,", and the blue-clad teen, from his newfound perch, replied, "Thanks."

Down in the stone labyrinth, the youngest Summers turned to her caretaker, prompting, "Well? Let's go!"

With a sigh, Giles nodded.

And so they were off.

 **:::**

'Left, left, right, left; jump across a pit that most certainly wasn't there a second ago; wait Dawn, don't fall!; help the girl out of the hole; right, right; stop to gawk at the cage full of meat; shake off your protesting arm after Dawn drags you away; right, left; pause at the fork; veer to the right and grin when you're correct; what was after this? Ah yes; right, left; aha! There!'

Jogging down the path to the portal after the sprinting girl in front of him, Giles narrowly dodged tripping over a tree root before arriving at the dimension-crossing object. As he doubled over, panting (Dawn really should know by now that he wasn't cut out for running that fast), the Brit observed in his peripheral vision that the plateau Sokka was sitting on was slowly lowering itself into the ground.

"Man, you guys are pretty good!" the boy exclaimed, hopping off his perch and landing steadily as it sunk the last few feet and levelled off with the rest of the lot they were in. "I didn't think you'd be able to get through that fast on your first try." Turning to Toph, he inquired, "How long was that? Four minutes? Five?"

The girl created a walkway from her position to where the others were and began to travel along it. "Yeah," she called back, nodding, "just under five."

Leaping off the path as she arrived at the group of people, the earthbender landed in a crouch, sending chunks of stone flying where her feet hit the ground. She paused for a minute, face scrunched up in thought, before humming in agreement with herself and throwing her hands out. The Sunnydalers and Sokka watched, the former in awe, the latter in smug satisfaction, as the maze collapsed around them, disappearing into the back lot as if it had never been there in the first place.

"Well that was fun," Toph decided. Turning to the others, she added, "Who's up to see the Fire Nation?"

"And you're sure all we have to do is step through the portal? It won't reject us for not having powers?" Giles inquired, motioning suspiciously to the portal. The girl nodded in reply. "Should be fine," she assured him. "Snoozles here can come through, and he's normal, isn't he?" Glancing at Sokka, Toph backtracked, "Well, as normal as he gets, anyways."

"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" the Water Tribe teen protested. "Oh don't get your ponytail in a twist," the girl shot back cheerfully, happily punching his arm and ignoring the wince that elicited. "I know you're here. Anyways, I can go through with you guys, if you want."

The water tribe native held up a hand. "Oh, no you don't," he rebuked. "You, my friend, have a shift to work. I, on the other hand, don't." Turning to the Sunnydalers, he added, "If anyone's going back home as a tour guide, it'll be me."

Giles found a rueful smile on his lips despite himself. "Alright," he agreed. "Dawn, since you're so excited, shall we go?" The brunette nodded enthusiastically. "Do we just step through?" she asked. "Yeah, pretty much," Sokka replied. "Okay!"

The two novice dimension-hoppers stepped towards the vortex. "Well," Giles remarked, inwardly sighing and thinking of how many ways this could backfire, "in we go."

And with that, he and Dawn began to climb through the portal.

Well, he did.

Dawn, on the other hand, hit the swirling purple mass with a resounding Smack! and recoiled, shaking off her smarting arm she had been attempting to get into the other dimension. Giles paused, looking to her. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Yeah," she said, looking at her arm as if betrayed. "But I don't think this thing'll be letting me through any time soon."

Toph and Sokka appeared bewildered. "It's like it rejected you or something," the girl summarized, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "But it's let through everyone else through." Frowning, she added, "Well, everyone who's human, that is. It didn't let Momo through either."

Dawn's eyes widened and she automatically glanced at Giles. "Do you think...?" Grimacing, the man nodded. "Unfortunately, I think that to be it."

"So wait. Why can't Dawn get through?" Sokka asked.

"Long story," the girl in question muttered, looking down and fidgeting with her hair. At the others' curious stares, she looked to Giles once more, who shrugged, as if to say, 'It's up to you.' The brunette bit her lip before squaring her shoulders and tacking on, "I'm not entirely a human, I guess you could say. It's a tale of the apocalypsey variety, and it's pretty long, so why don't you guys just go through without me? I'll do fine at the shop." Noticing the pitying look the Brit levelled her way, she smiled and perkily prompted, "I'll be fine, Giles! This place is pretty cool, you know. It's not like I'd be back home all alone or anything. Here."

She ran back into the shop before returning with a camera. "It was in BuffyBot's purse. Take some photos while you're there!" Giving Giles a clinical once over, Dawn teased, "Well, if you know how to use it, that is."

The man merely rolled his eyes, huffing out a, "Yes, Dawn. I do understand some pieces of technology from your generation."

"Just making sure!" the girl said innocently, hands out in front of her in defence. With a grin and a toss of her hair, she added, "Don't worry about stuff while you're gone. Willow and Xander'll protect me. And I'm sure Anya will keep the Magic Box safe." Adopting a scowl, Dawn did an uncanny imitation of the ex-demon as she shouted, "And if you want to trouble this store any further, we don't want your money!"

Giles burst out laughing. "Alright," he grinned. "Go back inside."

The brunette obliged with a toss of her hair, and then there were three.

Toph (who had been loitering throughout this conversation a few steps away next to Sokka) stepped forward. "Well New Guy? Let's go!"

'And go we shall,' Giles thought wryly, as he stepped through the portal to the other side.

'Go we shall.'

 **:::**

 **So, what do you think? I totally get that 2k words will not make up for my inexcusable absence, but I hope you liked it anyways. Man, Dawn can be hard to write. I haven't actually seen either series in a while (I should get on that), so voices are getting harder to find sometimes.**

 **I'm really unsure of when it'll be up (hopefully before the end of January, but I'm really sorry that I can't make promises), but next chapter will definitely be in the A:tLAverse!**

 **Thanks to everyone who's favourited, followed, and/or reviewed, and special thanks again to SundarDibujar!  
**

 **See ya!**

 **-Ua**


End file.
